Chapter 188: The ruthless and spoiled young master.

It was 2 p.m. in the capital, but Elliot Kaelion and his friends were only just waking up to prepare for a visit to one more night life hub before finally heading home. Ever since the wedding, this had become his absolute routine: eat like a king, sleep like a log, and party like there was no tomorrow.

Inside the luxurious, Kaelion-owned penthouse, his two constant lapdogs, Ashford and Mason, were still passed out in various corners of the living room.

Elliot swung his legs out of bed, instantly hit by a headache so vicious it felt like a tiny hammer was hammering away inside his skull. Cursing under his breath, he grabbed a silk robe and tied it loosely around his bare chest. He could barely remember what had happened last night, nor did he have the slightest clue how he had even gone back to the penthouse after a night of indulgence.

He took three shaky steps forward before his foot caught on something soft.

"Whoa_ !" Elliot stumbled, barely stabilizing himself before he hit the floor. Snarling in annoyance, he looked down to see what had tripped him. It was a young woman lying on the carpet. Her clothes were torn, and her pale skin was covered in nasty bruises, but the faint, agonizing groans escaping her lips proved she was still breathing.

Elliot didn’t even blink. He grunted in disgust, kicked her out of his way like a piece of dirty laundry, and bent down to scoop up his trousers from the floor. He fished out his phone and dialed a familiar contact.

"Orlando," Elliot drawled, his voice flat and devoid of any human warmth. "There’s a warm body in my room that needs to be disposed of. Make it quiet."

Without waiting for a reply, he snapped the call shut.

Whether the woman lived or died after being carried out was entirely irrelevant to him. As a spoiled rich young master of the mighty main Kaelion family, he was used to sweeping his worst sins under the rug_ and getting away with every single one of them.

Walking out into the corridor, Elliot casually bypassed Orlando and the cleanup crew as they rushed inside. He strolled into the main living area, rubbing his throbbing temples.

The moment he appeared, Ashford and Mason sat up on the sofas, whistling and cheering.

"Look who finally decided to join the living!" Ashford yelled, grinning widely. "The wealthy Young Master Elliot! Man, you spent enough high-grade stones last night to buy a small city!"

"Absolute big spender!" Mason chimed in with a chuckle. "Nobody parties like a Kaelion!"

"Shh! Shut up, both of you," Elliot hissed, wincing at the noise. He sank heavily into a plush armchair and snapped his fingers. "Get me a glass of iced water. Now."

Ashford didn’t hesitate for a second. He jumped off the couch and scrambled toward the bar like an eager servant. Even though Ashford hailed from a wealthy, high-born family himself, the Kaelion family stood at the absolute peak of power_ and he knew better than to act proud around Elliot.

Returning with a crystal glass, Ashford handed it over with a wide grin. "So, Elliot, are you actually eager to get back to the main estate? You haven’t been home for close to three months." He asked the question lightly, as if he was not interested in the answer. But that flashing in his eyes said different. He was more sober that they thought.

Elliot took a sip, waving his hand dismissively. "Eager? Please. My mother basically ordered me back to attend that useless clan meeting. I swear, if I have to look at that old fart of a Grand Patriarch for one more second, I’ll lose my mind." He huffed loudly, leaning back. "You have no idea how sick I am of pretending to like playing chess with him. Or waking up at the crack of dawn to spar in the martial ring with a butler when I should be enjoying my sleep! The only reason I put up with the old man is because my mother told me to stay close to him for the inheritance."

Mason, who was slowly sipping a bowl of hot hangover soup, looked up with a curious glint in his eye. Like Ashford, he had his own interests. "Speaking of returning home_what are you going to do about your new wife? She must be eagerly waiting for your return. "

Elliot paused, a sharp, mocking smirk spreading across his face. "Wife? What wife? I do not remember getting married."

Both Ashford and Mason burst into loud laughter.

"I only agreed to that stupid idea because my mother said it was politically important, I did not even know that she was a low born until yesterday." Elliot scoffed, swirling the water in his glass. "Mother said the moment her usefulness runs out, she’ll be kicking her right out the front door."

Ashford winced playfully, though he couldn’t stop laughing. "Ouch! Cold-hearted as always! You seem anxious Elliot, is it because you can’t even perform your_ husbandly duties?"

It was meant as a harmless joke. Ashford kept right on chuckling_ right up until the air in the room suddenly turned ice-cold.

The muscles on Elliot’s jaw twitched. Veins bulged along his neck as his face twisted into pure, murderous rage. Without a word, he grabbed the heavy glass fishbowl sitting on the center table and hurled it directly at Ashford’s face.

Glass shattered, water splashed everywhere, and Ashford shrieked as he was knocked clean off the sofa, clutching his bleeding face.

"Why are you so damn interested in my manhood, huh?!" Elliot roared.

Not satisfied, Elliot lunged forward, pouncing on Ashford like a rabid beast. He rained brutal punches straight into Ashford’s face and chest, deliberately snapping bones with every strike until Ashford’s groans faded into complete unconsciousness.

Just as Elliot wiped the blood off his knuckles, the door clicked open. Orlando stepped into the lounge, bowing respectfully. "Young Master, the cleaning job in your bedroom is complete_ "

Orlando stopped mid-sentence, his eyes landing on the bloody, broken heap that used to be Ashford. He didn’t even flinch. "Ah. How should I proceed with Young Master Ashford?"

"Throw him at the clan hospital entrance," Elliot growled, spat on the carpet, and turned back toward his bedroom. "And don’t disturb me again, there will be no more partying until the competition ends."

Mason sat frozen on his couch, his soup forgotten, letting out a long, silent sigh as he watched Orlando haul the limp body away.

Unlike Ashford, Mason had learned a long time ago never to cross certain boundaries with Elliot. The guy was a psycho with a fragile ego_ and worse, he secretly controlled a ruthless faction of shadow assassins. If not for the business connections his own family gained from this alliance, Mason wouldn’t stay within ten miles of him.

Watching Elliot slam his bedroom door shut, Mason slumped back into the cushions, shaking his head.

Great, he thought bitterly. Another perfectly good afternoon ruined by a lunatic. Damn you Ashford, I could have pried more information out of him, but you had to go and ruin it all!

He rose as well, scheming on how to use the next opportunity when the ruthless, spoiled young master of the Kaelion clan was in a better mood.